Problem:
I really enjoyed reading your post, especially your focus on working with adolescents. I am also hoping to work primarily with adolescents and young men, so a lot of what you shared resonated with me. I think the teenage years can be such a difficult stage of life because there is so much identity development, peer pressure, and emotional change happening all at once. Because of that, creating a supportive and emotionally safe environment feels incredibly important. I also appreciated your emphasis on active listening and validating emotions. Those seem like such basic counselling skills on the surface, but they can make a huge difference in whether group members feel safe enough to participate honestly. Kaklauskas and Greene (2020) discuss how cohesion and emotional safety are essential in the early stages of group development, and I can really see how your strategies would help strengthen that foundation. Your point about previous counselling experience influencing participation also stood out to me. I imagine adolescents who are new to counselling may initially hold back or test the safety of the group before opening up. At the same time, peers who are more comfortable participating could help normalize vulnerability and encourage connection within the group. Reference Kaklauskas, F. J., & Greene, L. R. (Eds.). (2020). Core principles of group psychotherapy: An integrated theory, research, and practice training manual. Routledge. Answer in maximum 250 words in paragraph, with APA format and APA reference and a question to deepen the discussion and a word count. Need Assignment Help?